8 Principles of App Naming
Life Style
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Mobytelab Team
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In case you think naming your app is the easiest task among all the complex app developing processes, well, we must say that it doesn’t. You can easily choose a name, but creating an effective name is something worth investing time into.
The main reason why naming your app is important has nothing to do with your app itself but with your users. With such a proliferation of apps nowadays, people don’t have enough time to read every app’s description. They just have a quick look at your app’s name to be impressed and define what they can benefit from your app. So the name plays a big role in whether or not your app is picked up by a potential user.
8 Principles when naming an app
Shortlist
- Use compounds
- Be Original
- Clarity
- Pronounceability
- Avoid all-lowercase letters or all-caps
- Limit to 11 characters
- Use name generators
- Pay your time
To check out in more detail, please continue reading
1. Use compounds
If you have a phrase in mind that perfectly describes your app but you want to set the name of your app on a one-word moniker? Just mix them well together.
In fact, the best app names are well-executed simple compound words, and in most cases, it pairs the basic function of the app with a flair that enhances it. Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, SoundCloud, RadPad, Snapchat, Evernote, Wunderlist, Flipboard, GrubHub, Eventbrite are some great cool examples!
2. Be Original
You may tend to sponge on a popular app name to make it looks like it has something related to that. A name that sounds familiar can raise awareness and increase the chance of people finding your app by using a search tool. But be careful, it could be another way to label your app a “phony”. So make sure your name doesn’t sound too conspicuously close to a popular app.
In-app development, you are always encouraged to break the conventions and starting a new trend, especially when it comes to naming. Make a 100th app version of Insta-something may deliver the first recognition but it doesn’t guarantee to drive more users to your app.
So try your best to come up with an original name, it doesn’t need to be too trendy, but be different from others in the App Store and easily recognizable. Take a quick Google search to see if it is being used elsewhere.
3. Clarity
Clarity plays an important role in recognisability, so make sure they take the front seat when deciding on a name. Can the users tell what the app does just by its name? For example, the name “PicDish” will immediately get you to know that the app helps you to take photos of dishes/meals.
4. Pronounceability
A creative name often goes along with originality. But you should know the limit while “invent” an app name. “Creative” doesn’t mean “weird”. People can get frustrated about how to pronounce a word if it is not familiar. So take caution when making words that are hard to say.
While ‘Coveo’ sounds cool, does anyone know how to pronounce it correctly? Usually, the best names are easy to spell and pronounce so they can be easily searched and spread by word-of-mouth)
5. Avoid all-lowercase letters or all-caps
As we said above, creativity has its limit. It may sound like a good idea to differentiate and come up with a name that contains all lowercase letters or all-caps. But in fact, it makes your app look more sketchy than ever. You may notice that most of the app’s name use sentence-case (eg Cut the Rope) or camel-case eg ScoreCenter).
6. Limit to 11 characters
Short, concise and simple is the way to go to command attention. Long names are not only hard to read but also do not stand out in a long list.
One to three-syllable names or under-11-character names is generally best and easy to remember.
7. Keep App Name Simple and Searchable
A simple app name that is short and unique gives many benefits in the app development process. You should take a short and unique app name instead of a name too long. Many successful apps have managed to find a good one-word name, helping users easily remember them: Skype, Grab, Now,...
One to three-syllable names or under-11-character names is generally best and easy to remember. It would be easier and faster to test the length limit of your app name on multiple mobile operating systems. It helps an app name to avoid violating copyright and is unique.
The best app names are searchable. As a survey, 63% of mobile devices users discover new apps by searching the keywords. So, think of the best keywords research and their combination that you couldn’t avoid in order to reach the target audience.
You may use them if your competitors do not do the same too actively, otherwise, the audience will not see you on the first pages of the search results. By the way, Google optimization guidelines on app naming suggest using brand name plus key function naming formula.
The two-part head would describe both the purpose of your application and its’ functionality (Evernote) Your app name will be shown in search results higher if it has a keyword. The trick is how to avoid keywords used by every other competitor and to reach a specific audience.
8. Pay your time
The worst result that can happen is spending countless hours developing an app, submitting it to the App Store, getting it approved, but people just pass by because they have no first impression because the app name is too weak to incite them to stay. A mistake is to leave the name task as an afterthought. To have someone find your app, giving it a great name a right start. So it is worth spending your time deciding on a stellar name. You will save time promoting it afterwards.
Conclusion
To sum up, the name of your name must either inherently imply its function or creative enough to make an impression. If you can combine both you get a perfect name.
Now you will know how picking the right name can make all the differences. There have been tons of hurdles you’ll be up against when deciding on a name. Once you have got a name, the timing is also crucial. In this competitive world, everything can happen in just a second, even the chances of someone else taking your ideal name.
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